Archive's

Casino Charity Facts - March 27/01

• On June 26, 1998, the Ontario Government announced plans to introduce four charity casinos to be operated by the Ontario Lottery Corporation (OLC), an organization which had been generating money for good causes in Ontario for more than 20 years. To be eligible for a charity casino, communities were required to have a positive municipal referendum decision, a vote of approval from city council and a supporting business case. Since the June 1998 announcement, the Government also announced that a fifth charity casino would be developed in Eastern Ontario.
  
  On April 1, 2000, the OLC was amalgamated with the Ontario Casino Corporation to form the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC), which is now responsible for most gaming activities in Ontario, including charity casinos.
  
  The charity casino initiative provides Ontario charities with $100 million annually in stable funding. These charity casinos are located in Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Point Edward, Brantford and the fifth charity casino will be located in Leeds and Thousand Islands and Gananoque.
  
  

• Casino Sault Ste. Marie opened on May 19, 1999.
• Brantford Charity Casino opened on November 17, 1999.
• Point Edward Charity Casino opened on April 18, 2000.
• Thunder Bay Charity Casino opened on August 28, 2000.
• Eastern Ontario charity casino is projected to open Spring 2002.

• The charity casino program guarantees $100 million annually for Ontario's charities.
• This money is distributed to charities through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

• Commercial casinos have a greater variety and number of games than charity casinos.
• Charity casinos have lower betting limits than commercial casinos.
• Host communities receive five per cent of gross slot machine revenues to be used at the municipality's discretion.

• The charity casinos are owned and operated by OLGC.
• Each casino is regulated by the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario.
• Strict regulations have been put in place to restrict minors and identify problem gamblers.
• Ontario's Illegal Gaming Enforcement Unit supervises gaming related offences in the Province.

Jobs and Economic Development

• Job fairs have been held in each host municipality to recruit staff.
• Security, table dealers and hospitality positions are among the types of jobs that are available.
• The majority of employees recruited live in the host communities.

Problem Gambling

• The Ontario Government has allocated two per cent of the annual gross revenue from slot machines at charity casinos and slot facilities at racetracks - with a guaranteed minimum of $10 million annually - to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for problem gambling research, treatment, prevention and public awareness.
• This is more than any jurisdiction in North America.
• Based on this two per cent formula, the amount for fiscal 2000/2001 is estimated at $17 million.

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March 30, 2001: OLGC

Eastern Ontario Charity Casino to be Located in Communities of
Leeds and Thousand Islands and Gananoque

• The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC) today announced that the charity casino under development in Eastern Ontario will be located in Leeds and Thousand Islands and Gananoque on a parcel of land straddling both communities.
• "The Eastern Ontario charity casino will create more than 400 direct jobs for the Thousand Islands region, stimulate economic development, and provide non-tax revenue to the host municipalities, while generating revenue to support charities across the province", said Ron D. Barbaro, OLGC Chair and Chief Executive Officer. "By locating the charity casino in Leeds and Thousand Islands and Gananoque -- close to the 401 and Interstate 81 -- we have chosen a site that holds the greatest potential to maximize charity casino revenue and tourism visitation", Mr. Barbaro added.
• The OLGC decision was based on both a preliminary and detailed market analysis conducted by KPMG. The comprehensive study found that the charity casino market potential in the neighbouring communities of Leeds and Thousand Islands and Gananoque is indistinguishable. The consultants concluded that the communities of Prescott and Brockville do not hold the same potential for charity casino visitation or revenue.
• "The project will bring much needed jobs and economic development to our communities", said Leeds and Thousand Islands Reeve Harold Grier and Gananoque Mayor Sylvia Fletcher-Thomas. Both municipal leaders indicated the charity casino will be a boost for tourism in the region and provide new opportunities for area vendors and service providers.
• The Town of Gananoque will provide sewer and water services to the site. The two host communities will equally divide the five per cent municipal share of slot machine revenues offered by the charity casino program.
• The Eastern Ontario charity casino will be the fifth charity casino in the province. The four others include Casino Sault Ste. Marie, Brantford Charity Casino, Point Edward Charity Casino and Thunder Bay Charity Casino. On June 19, 2000, the Government announced a three-year pause in the further expansion of casino gaming.
• The development of the $47 million charity casino will create 200 temporary construction jobs. The OLGC plans to break ground in summer 2001 following which it will hold a local job fair to recruit candidates for the more than 400 direct jobs at the charity casino. The facility is expected to open in spring 2002.

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Excerpt From Gananoque Reporter May 2, 2001

• Gananoque and the township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands have signed a deal to share equally the costs and revenues of the charity casino.
• The leaders of both municipalities pronounce themselves satisfied with the deal. "I feel it was a good agreement," said T. L.T.I. Reeve Harold Greer. "We'll both work together."
• "I am really pleased," said Gananoque Mayor Sylvia Fletcher Thomas. "It could not have been a more positive meeting."
• It started last Thursday as a closed meeting to hammer out the agreement.
• "Seeing as we were in agreement, we thought we might as well get the agreement in place so we can move on with things," said the mayor.
• The Reeve said he entered the meeting hoping for the best.
• "I was hoping it would be agreeable to both parties," he said of the deal. "It was good. I was hoping everyone would agree. It makes things a whole lot simpler."
• Surprised at the speed with which the deal was sealed, the councils opened the meeting and Gananoque passed the necessary bylaw.
• "I'm really pleased," said Ms. Fletcher Thomas the next morning.
• T. L.T.I. Council is looking ahead.
• "They're quite anxious to proceed," said Mr. Greer.
• Next, both councils will meet with officials of the Ontario lottery and gaming commission. This is expected to happen early this month.
• The agreement between the parties uses the phrases "paid for equally" or "shared equally" many times leaving no doubt this is a joint venture.
• The seven part agreement specifies which municipality is responsible for what.
• Briefly:
• Gananoque assumes responsibility for off-site engineering services; the township is responsible for those on-site;
• all preconstruction costs shall be shared equally regardless of which municipality engaged the services;
• the township bears responsibility for upgrading road access and off-site lighting; the town bears responsibility for sewage disposal and water provision;
• the town will negotiate water and sewer rates with the lottery Corp.;
• the township will negotiate fire and police services with the lottery Corp.;
• revenues from the casino as well as grants from the province in lieu of taxes will be shared equally by both municipalities
• the agreement precludes either municipality from annexing portions of the other as they relate to the casino;
• both agree the deal will stand if municipal boundaries are "relocated by the government of Ontario;"
• The rest of the agreement includes a dispute resolution mechanism.
• Construction is expected to begin this summer and the casino may open as soon as next spring.
• The municipalities will share five percent of gross slot machine revenue. Estimates vary from just under the $1 million mark to $1.5 million.

Casino will deposit up to $4.5 million in economy
May 23rd 2001-Kingston Whig standard

• Officials will hire locally "as much as possible" to fill 400 jobs. The municipalities of Gananoque and Leeds and the Thousand Islands Township, who will split five percent of revenue from the charity casino to open next spring, could see an economic windfall of between $1.3 million and $4.5 million a year. Those figures were revealed by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation officials, who met with the two councils on Thursday, first behind closed doors and then in open session.
• Jake Pastore, the corporation's manager of municipal affairs and economic development, said the Sault Ste. Marie casino took in the smaller number and $4.5 million was what Bradford's 24-hour-a-day operation raked in. Last year, the corporation took in a total of $639 million from charity casinos, $100 million of which the Trillium Foundation distributes to charities.
• The corporation is still negotiating with the Ministry of Transportation for the land just east of Gananoque, the joint councils heard in public session, although soil testing is being done and the corporation is looking for office space, training rooms and motel accommodation for the construction crews.
• Last Tuesday, Gananoque Council voted to lease the Gananoque and District Recreation Center's banquet hall to the corporation as a training centre for $200 a day for four months, starting in December.
• Corporation spokesman Jim Cronin also said structural steel for the $47-million, 5,000-square-metre casino between highways 2 and 401 had been ordered.
• There will be a job fair this fall for the expected 400 direct full and part-time jobs, he said, adding, "our intention is to hire locally as much as possible," and then train the successful applicants. Some 75 to 85 percent of the hirings are usually "local"-within 40 kilometers, he said. Cronin said he is expecting thousands of applications.
• The 450 slot machines and 18 gaming tables will operate from 11 AM to 4 AM seven days a week.
• Pastore said that this fall there will also be a business registration fair for those companies wanting to apply to supply goods and services- with annual application fees ranging from $200 to $15,000 for different classes of businesses. The Corporation will use a "buy local policy," Pastore said.
• Pastore added that the casino won't pay extra for policing -other than its own internal security- or for firefighting.
• The casino will have a small bar and restaurant and a gift shop for casino souvenirs, Cronin said, and customers must be 19 or over. Casino security staff will look out for those who've had too much to drink and there will be an Ontario Provincial Police gaming unit of inside to watch for crime. However, he added despite fears, "there will not be an increase in crime."
• As for problem gambling, Cronin said they don't want problem gamblers and they have a provincial problem gambling prevention and treatment fund from two percent of the revenues, a 24-hour hotline, warning signs on each machine and a "self-exclusion policy" by which gamblers can sign a document that they should be prevented from entering a casino.
• Blu Mackintosh, of Casino Watch, asked what could be done about computer-generated warnings for slot machine gamblers and if there would be any emphasis at the casino on problem prevention. "We'd prefer not to have people with gambling problems," Cronin said. In response to another question, he said it would be "a bit invasive" to have staff tell people they were over-playing.

The Kingston Whig Standard

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Casino won't overload sewers: Town - May 30th 2001
Gananoque Reporter

• Whatever the new casino may do, it won't back up your toilet.
• That was the reassuring message from Gananoque Town Manger Bill Arthur, in response to public questions about the capacity of local infrastructure.
• An agreement recently signed by the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands (TLTI) and the Town of Gananoque says that all revenues and costs from the new charity casino will be evenly divided between the two municipalities and that water and sewer services will be provided by the town.
• Recent studies by the provincial encironment ninistry indicate that the town's sewer system can easily accommodate the demands fo the casino, plus additional growth, Mr. Arthur Said.
• "At this time we are fine," he said. "We have plenty of capacity."
• In June of 1999, the provincial environment ministry issued a certificate of approval to the town. It said its sewer system cound handle 5,300 cubic metres a day. This far exceeds the system's average for the year 2000, which was 4,566 cubic metres a day, Mr. Arthur noted.
• That leaves a current excess capacity of 734 cubic metres per day.
• Mr. Arthur said that even cautious estimates don't put the casino's projected sewer volume at more than 100 cubic metres per day.
• Even if the casino produced this much, that would still leave the town sewer system with an excess capacity of 634 cubic metres per day.
• To put that number into perspective, Mr Arthur noted that the average house pumps 1.1 cubic metres of sewage into the town's system each day. The average house in Gananoque has 3.1 residents, he added.
• That means means that 634 cubic metres is enough to accommodate 576 new homes, in addition to the casino. That many new homes would add 1,787 new people to Gananoque - a 34 percent increase over the town's current population of around 5,200.
• "That's quite a few more homes than would be built here," Mr. Arthur said. "It just wouldn't happen in a short period of time. The town just isn't that big."
• While the town is expected to grow from the development of the casino, by how much is a tough question, Mr. Arthur said. When asked, he said the town is not attempting to estimate growth from the casino and is taking a wait-and-see approach.
• "We haven't done anything on that at all," he said. "We really have no way of predicting (growth)."
• He said that while some new employees at the casino would settle in Gananoque, others might live in TLTI, Kingston or Brockville. It's hard to predict where future employees will come from and where they'll choose to live, Mr. Arthur added.
• He also confirmed that any future improvements or expansion of the town sewer system would be funded by user fees.
• "It would not be at the township's expense," he said.
• Fears of the township being stuck with part of the bill for city sewer improvements had been a concern expressed at TLTI council. Township Councillor Douglas Mackintosh presented a memo at a May 22 council meeting to this effect.
• However, when contacted later in the week by The Gananoque Reporter, Mr Mackintosh said his concerns had been addressed.
• "I Think everybody's happy the way it is," he said.
• "The only thing it (TLTI) would be on the hook for is if there's not enough (sewer capacity) for the casino itself," Mr. Mackintosh concluded, "and Bill Arthur has assured me there is."

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MTO, OLGC planning to study traffic as part of casino project
Gananoque Reporter

• The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) is taking another look at a Highway 401 exit ramp that was the scene of another seroius traffic accident.
• "We're going to take a look at it in terms of reviewing the visibility question," said MTO spokesperson Bob Nichols.
• This follows a recent collision that sent three people to hospital.
• The exit ramp from the west-bound lane of Highway 401 intersects County Road 2, just beyond an overpass that crosses Highway 401.
• For motorists stopped at the intersection, visibility to the left is impaired by an overpass railing. The danger comes from cars leaving Gananoque. Some tend to speed up as they cross the overpass. By the time they become visible, there may not be time for drivers to react.
• Use of this exit ramp is expected to increase following construction of the new charity casino nearby.
• Mr. Nichols confirmed that MTO is conducting a traffic impact study "to look at the impact of the casino on local roads."
• He said the traffic study includes a new look at the interchange in question.
• Casino construction has been delayed by a land transfer from MTO, that owns the site, to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC).
• A June construction start was forecast.
• "We are anxious to get on the property and start doing what we need to do," said the OLGC's spokesperson, Jim Cronin.
• He added that won't happen until the land transfer is completed.
• "As soon as we get the land transferred, we can move on to the sod turning," he said.
• The charity casino is expected to create 400 full and part-time jobs.
• Local purchases of goods and services are expected to benefit many local businesses.
• Mr. Cronin said results fo the traffic study are expected to be available sometime this week.

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• Gananoque- Ground for the Thousand Islands Charity Casino is about to be broken.
• The lottery Corp. and provincial government officials will gather for the groundbreaking and design unveiling ceremony at the site of the next casino, located at the intersection of Highway 401, old Highway 2 and the Thousand Islands Parkway on Tuesday morning.
• Construction will begin immediately.
• Ron Barbaro, chairman and chief executive officer of the Ontario lottery and gaming Corp. and Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman will lead the ceremony, which gets underway at 9:15 AM.
• The design of the new facility and the theme it will carry will be presented, according to OLGC spokesman Anne Rappe.
• "We're very excited about moving ahead with the project through this important milestone," Rappe said Thursday.
• "We're proud of the facility and its design and we are hopeful it will generate excitement in the community," she said.
• "Our goal in designing the Thousand Islands Charity Casino is that it be a tourist attraction in its own right."
• "We also wanted to to complement the community and we believe the design will be complementary to fit into the area," Rappe said.
• An open house will follow at the Country Squire family Inn and Resort from 12 noon to 8 PM.
• During this time, the public will be able to view drawings and site plans in resort's Squire Room. The Country Squire is located at 715 King Street East in Gananoque.
• Ontario lottery and gaming officials will be available to answer questions.

The Brockville Recorder and Times

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New charity casino design is not all glitter
Gananoque Reporter - Aug 15

• Design of new charity casino has a 1950's appearance
• David Northcote's vision has become a reality.
• Associate in charge of designing the new charity casino in Leeds and the Thousand Islands, Mr. Northcote's composite of the Thousand Islands Charity Casion was unveiled Aug.7
• For most, the casino was a welcome addition to the area. For others, it's not what they expected.
• A silver, metal building with a red roof and "ribbon" that ties it together, the building looks like a throwback to diners popular in the 1950's
• Mr. Northcote explained that designers were trying to achieve a sleek and dynamic look that draws from the look of 1950's cars and classic boats.
• He noted they wanted the casino to be an attraction from the highway as an entertainment facility, yet blend with the landscape.
• Other features of this multi-million dollar facillity include ship sails hanging from the ceiling, a glass wall, two murals of the Thousand Islands in a restaurant named Oscar's and antique wooden boats.
• The calming colours of blue and green will be scattered throughout the casino.
• "We believe it's the nicest we've ever done," commented David Maddocks, director of development with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLGC).
• Looking at the unveiled sketches at an open house, area resident Bob Morin seemed pleased with the design of the casino and noted that the gaming area is "nice and roomy."
• "We'll have to wait and see," replied the self-labeled pro-gambler, when asked if he liked the new casino.
• "I think it's ugly," said Mary Parfitt as she looked at the designs.
• "It's not what I expected at all."
• Ms. Parfitt said that she was expecting something that would blend into the landscape, because the casino issue has been contentious with area residents.
• "This is very ugly," agreed her husband Anthony.
• He pointed out that the building liiks like a cigar boat and not like a building. This is a point that seems to irk him because he believes the architects designed it this way intentionally.
• "We're local residents and we have to live with this all the time," he said.
• The new charity casino is projected to cost $54 million upon completion and generate more than 400 jobs. This figure does not include an additional 200 jobs generated by the construction work.
• When opened next summer, the casino will offer 450 slot machines and 18 gaming tables. It will be the fifth charity casino in Ontario.

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Road Study Recognizes Exit Problem
Gananoque Reporter - Aug 22

• An employee of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLGC) has learned first-hand about a dangerous Hoghway 401 exit.
• During a visit, he said he was almost in a collision with an on-coming vehicle that was invisible until the last minute.
• Officially, the OLGC is acknowledging there is a problem with the ramp from Highway 401 westbound leading to County Road 2.
• "Our project people are still having discussions with traffic consultants on what we can do here." said OLGC communications director Jim Cronin. "We all recognize there is an issue; it's finding the best solution to it."
• OLGC commissioned the Ministry of Transportation for Ontario (MTO) to prepare a road study because of the establishing of a charity casino in the area. That risky ramp is part of the study.
• "We are working on it to find the best solution," said Mr. Cronin.
• OLGC briefed Gananoque and Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands council about the road study and the ramp problem.
• "At the end of the day, it's common sense," said Mr. Cronin. "We want the safest way for our customers to get in and out of the casino.
• The ramp rises to meet County Road 2. To the intersection's left, County Road 2 crosses the 401 but overpass guard rails hamper vision.
• There have been a number of accidents at the intersection. Many local residents have their own anecdotes about close shaves.
• Mr. Cronin said a traffic light has been rejected for the site.
• "If you put a light there, you run the risk of backing traffic up onto the 401," said Mr. Cronin.
• That would create another risky situation.
• "The other thing that has been looked at is shaving some of the contours off the hills to give better visibility," he said.
• Meanwhile OLGC has given both councils that share the casino assurances.
• "We'll be looking at getting traffic safely in and out." he said.
• Calls by The Gananoque Reporter to MTO resulted in in some weeds being cut at the intersection. MTO officials continued to provide assurances that the exit meets design standards.
• Police have confirmed a higher number of accidents at that intersection compared to others in the area.

For Better or worse, casino means changes in Gananoque.
Gananoque Reporter - Sep 12

• Police chief claude Brett makes startling discoveries while touring host communities of charity casinos
• For better or worse, a casino is going to change this community as you know it.
• That is the sentiment of Claude Brett, chief of the Gananoque Police Service.
• Recently returned from viewing the impact charity casinos have had on Brantford and Thunder Bay, the police chief has gleaned valuable information for the Town of Gananoque.
• "A Casino will change this community permanently," he surmised after viewing the casinos in these two communities.
• "And you can't go back once it's here"
• What he discovered is not surprising to casino critics.
• The chief discovered from statistics provided by Brantford that a charity casino may have resulted in the expansion or opening of businesses that weren't there before.
• He lists businesses such as escort services, massage parlours, cheque cashing and load enterprises, pawn shops and second hand stores.
• "Some of these businesses.......we don't have in our community, thankfully," he noted.
• Armed with this information, Chief Brett says he relayed the news to the committee that deals with by laws in Gananoque and asked them to create by laws here.
• "Brantford didn't anticipate these types of businesses coming there so they didn't have by-laws in place," he noted.
• "(And) you can't make laws retroactive."
• Other information obtained by the police chief while visiting Brantford is the number and type of police calls requested at the casino.
• "Statistically, I can tell you they're not alarming, but they do increase," he said.
• After a casino arrived in both Thunder Bay and Brantford, criminal incidents consistently increased for frauds, thefts from motor vehicles; thefts of motor vehicles; conterfeit money; intoxicated persons and traffic collisions.
• In fact, Thunder Bay reported a 118 per cent increase in the number of collisions around the casino.
• "Now, I take all that information and I try to apply it in general terms to our (situation),"says the chief.
• That is because Gananoque has somewhat of a unique situation.
• With the casino located just outside of the town's limits, it is officially situated in the Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands. As such, the OPP will respond to disturbance calls.
• In addition, the casino will offer its own security force and a contingent of Opp officers are mandated to police "cheat and play."
• Yet Chief Brett still has to determine what impact the casino would have on Gananoque because of its close proximity to town amenities.
• "At the end of the day, I've considered what impact, if any, the casino will have on this community in relation to demands on services."
• The chief deducted that the client base of the casino will almost certainly use the services of this community and along with that comes the criminal base.
• "Criminals migrate to opportunities," he confirmed.
• Because of this, the police chief has asked town council for four additional police officers.
• A provincial equation puts the cost of each additional new police officer at $100,000.
• Information provided by police services in other host casino communities reveals Brantford required nine additional staff, Port Perry required five additional staff, but Thunder Bay required none.
• The police chief quickly adds that Thunder Bay was overstaffed at the onset of a casino arriving and the police chief there couldn't justify increasing his complement of officers.
• In Gananoque, the situation is different.
• Chief Brett cites statistics from other casino communities that indicate slight increases of criminal activity within a five-block radius of the casino. These figures change dramatically within a 10 block radius of the same casinos.
• Other areas of concern for him once the casinoo opens here, includes a change in traffic patterns and an increase in the number of people milling about a later hours in town.
• "To adequately police that, we should have two police officers available 24 hours a day," he said.
• Now, a shift schedule in place at Gananoque Police Service results in only one officer on duty at times.
• Asked if he believes a casino will benefit this community, the chief pauses before responding.
• "There are pros and cons of having a casino within close proximity to our community."
• He lists the pros as the financial benefits to both the town and township from the revenue of slot machines, an increase in jobs and an enlarged tax base.
• He lists th cons as a casino providing an environment for criminals, late hours, drinking and people gambling money from family coffers that would have otherwise been spent on family support issues.
• "Casinos have been in existence long enough in Ontario that people can make a rational decision as to whether or not to have one. This community has decided it does and so has the Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands," he says.
• "I think it's up to our political leaders to be vigilant that it doesn't erode the quality of life here."

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Casino facing new challenge attracting American visitors
Gan Reporter Oct 26, 2001

• Loss of business felt at all Ontario facilities following September 11 attacks in U.S.
• The effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks remain to be seen on the Thousand Islands Charity Casino opening next summer, says Jim Cronin, director of corporate communications for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
• "It doesn't lower the expectations, it just presents a challenge to us getting the message across the border to our American friends," he said in a phone interview from Toronto Tuesday.
• Cronin said an immediate loss of business was felt at all Ontario casinos, with a decline in both Canadian and American gamblers, following September 11.
• The casino at Windsor, which faces direct competition from three gambling operations across the international bridge to Detroit, suffered most and remains well below normal revenues.
• He said Windsor lost 50 percent of its business, rebounded slowly and then dipped back again to about half its normal clientele when the U.S. and Britain launched their bombing offensive against Afghanistan three weeks ago.
• The Casino at Niagara Falls, however, hasn't suffered as badly but remains below normal business, he said.
• He wouldn't speculate on the state of the tourism industry next summer when the local casino, now under construction, is scheduled to open.
• "We're still months away from opening so it's too early." He said.
• He said easing congestion at international crossing points, while maintaining vigilant customs inspection, is key to attracting cross-border tourists.
• Americans will be well-informed of the availability and easy access to the casino by an advertising campaign when the time is right, he said.
• If they respond as hoped and Canadians are also inclined to visit, Cronin said the Gananoque casino will be ready to greet them next summer.
• Absolutely. The weather has been relatively reasonable and work is progressing very well. The foundation is down. The steel structure is going up and we hope to get paving done on the site if not by the end of October in early November.
• "We're also hoping to get the place closed in by the end of the year so that will help get work done indoors over the winter months," he said.
• He said a date for a job fair hasn't been determined yet but feels it will be held in the spring.
• A summer opening for the facility, at the eastern end of Gananoque adjoining land in the Township of Leeds and Thousand Islands, remains the corporation's goal.

Casino Training program at college put on hold
Gan Reporter Oct 26, 2001

• A casino training program at St. Lawrence College has been put on hold after two attempts to get it started this fall sputtered because of low enrollment.
• Training consultant Dave Ashton said the college may offer the program in the winter or spring, depending on the status of the Thousand Islands Charity Casino, now under construction Gananoque · "We've suspended the program for a number of reasons," he said.
• Ashton said traditional federal support for students through Human Resources Development Canada wasn't available for a fall program because it would end far sooner than hiring would start at the casino. · "There was too big a lag," he said.
• He said he hopes consultations with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLGC) and HRDC will allow the college to synchronize its program so students may take advantage of federal assistance to pay the $2995 tuition fee.
• The program, originally slated to start October 1 and pushed back to October 15 before the latest cancellation, attracted significant interest but few students were able to come up with the tuition.
• "We still have people interested in taking the program. We're hoping to revive it (but) we have to have the other two (HDRC and OLGC) on board," Ashton said.
• The 10 week program would be taught by instructors from the First National Technical Institute of Deseronto, a Mohawk Reserve near Deseronto.
• Students would be trained in three gambling disciplines, black-jack, poker, and roulette, with each component taught over a three week period. A 10th week for the program would be an overall review of casino dealing techniques.
• The college needs at least 15 students to make the program viable. Officials from the OLGC say the casino will open next summer and a job fair will be held in the spring at a date to be determined.

CRCA satisfied with casino construction
October 31st, 2001 Gananoque reporter

• The local conservation authority is now satisfied that construction of the new Thousand Islands Charity Casino is proceeding without undue damage to wetlands.
• On Oct. 9, the Cataroqui Region Conservation Authority sent a letter to one of the contractors involved in the construction of the new casino. The letter expressed concerns about the creek and wetlands on the site, located just outside Gananoque's town limits, near Highway 401.
• However, the subsequent meeting has largely put those concerns to rest, said Steve Knechtel, the conservation authority's watershed management coordinator.
• "There was a good discussion of some issues and the layout of development," Mr. Knechtel said.
• The meeting included contractors and representatives of the conservation authority and the Ontario lottery and gaming Corp. [OLGC.], the provincial agency responsible for the casino.
• "Generally, from our perspective, it was a positive meeting," Mr. Knechtel added.
• He explained that the conservation authority's two main concerns involved the closeness of the development to the sites wetlands and construction of a culvert through the creek.
• On the first point, Mr. Knechtel said that, as an agency of the provincial government, the OLGC was not obligated to follow local zoning laws, which would have required more distance between the development and wetlands.
• "We knew we would not see the typical setback," he said. "[But] the conservation authority believes the wetlands and the creek are going to be maintained."
• Mr. natural added that the old LG see has agreed to "enhance planting" between the wetlands and development to compensate for the closer distance.
• On the other matter of the culvert, Mr. Knechtel said the conservation authority became concerned when it appeared that the culvert's construction was not following the original plan. However, he said the OLGC agreed to take "corrective action" on the issue, too.
• "We have a better comfort level than we did when we wrote a letter," Mr. Knechtel concluded, adding that, "they [OLGC] have certainly been open to our concerns."
• When asked, Mr. Knechtel said he was not sure if any other meetings would be necessary.
• He added that there are some utility grids that must be installed under the wetlands, and that the OLGC has agreed to a plan to minimize the impact.
• For example, no construction equipment will actually drive into the the wetlands and any damage will be repaired.
• "We're discussing appropriate conservation measures for when we do that," Mr. Knechtel said.
• He added that the utility construction under the wetlands would likely begin soon, as the contractor wants to get done before winter.
• Jim Cronin, a spokesperson for the OLGC, left a message with the Gananoque Reporter confirming that a meeting had taken place and addressed the wetlands issue.
• "Any concerns with the wetlands apparently have been resolved between us and the conservation authority," Mr. Cronin said.